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DIY Industrial Pipe Shelves! Build your own!

Urban | Rustic | Industrial

These DIY industrial pipe shelves are EVERYTHING! Whether you are looking to fill an empty wall, create a fun storage option, add rustic charm to a kitchen, office or family room, these industrial pipe shelves will add a modern urban-farmhouse vibe to your space! And, instead of spending thousands of dollars with the pre-made versions you can build them yourself for a fraction of the cost. Follow my step by step tutorial to make your own DIY industrial pipe shelves!

DIY Pipe Shelf UPDATE

After about two years enjoying our beautiful DIY Pipe Shelves I decided it was time for an update. Originally we wanted to complete the project as cheaply as possible and that was the main reason we decided to go with the inexpensive 1″ boards. Fast forward to this fall when Julie found Delirious By Design! She fell in love with their pipe shelves and decided to use them in her bathroom redesign. I immediately started to picture how amazing our pipe shelves would look if we replaced the boards with their beautiful hand finished wood.

Depending on the size of the shelf you want to create, your costs and time allotment are going to vary. For a reference point, here are the stats for the industrial pipe shelves we built:

Industrial Pipe Shelves Stats:

Cost: $350

Time: One Weekend:

The first day we made the plan, bought the supplies and put the first coat of stain on.

The second day we put the second coat of stain, assembled the pieces and put them up on the wall.

If you count the amount of time it took me to research the project and then CONVINCE my hubbie to do this with me the total time involved would be over 6 months!! But, in the end we made these for about $350 and had them completed and ready for styling within two days.

Day One

We made the measurements, drew out a plan (including labeled picture with measurements) and made a detailed list of supplies. Then we headed to the hardware store. Actually, to be totally honest, my husband made 8 trips to the hardware store(s) looking for all the pipe pieces we needed, and to exchange a few pieces we got wrong. Tip, do not let your kids pic out the pipe pieces. You will need to double check the shapes and sizes because they aren’t always in the correct box! And finally, I did the first coat of stain so it could dry over night (this step is optional).

Day Two

Day two we save for the “good stuff.” We put on the final coat of stain, assembled the pieces, and put them up on the wall.

Decisions…decisions

Decide on your DESIGN.

What do you want your shelves to look like?

Do you want it “floating” on the wall (like ours)?

Perhaps you want it hanging from the ceiling?

Or, do want it connected to the floor?

For simplicity, we decided to go with “floating.” My hubby didn’t like the idea of making holes in the ceiling nor did he feel like cutting into the carpet. Honestly, at this point, I was just trying to keep him happy and focused so we could get this project done!

Next, decide on the SIZE.

Measure your space and find your studs.

Most studs are 18″ apart so this is where your brackets will go. You should use a stud finder or double check just to make sure. You don’t want to plan your whole shelf unit only to find out it can’t go where you want.

If you are making a smaller shelf and do not plan to put anything heavy on it you could manage to hang it without attaching it to the studs (you should have seen my hubby cringe when I asked him about this). But, while he probably wouldn’t risk it, he did say it would be possible to use sheet-rock anchors to attach it. However, with a large shelf like the one we made this wouldn’t be a good idea.

Start to map out what you have space for and what will look good.

How Many Supports Do You Want?

Here is when you decide whether you want 2 or 3 support brackets. I thought the hubby was going for over kill when he suggested 3 support brackets. I had seen a great design on Pinterest that had only 2 support brackets and it looked awesome! But he was worried it would not have enough support with just 2. Remember….I was trying to keep him happy so of course I let him win! Here’s the deal….I hate to say it but he was right. Mostly because we were trying to cut costs and bought the cheapest boards sold at the hardware store. If we had used only 2 brackets these boards would have bowed under the weight.

Look and Function of your Industrial Pipe Shelves

So…..decide the look and the function of what you want to make. If you want to create a media center, for example, and are going for some amount of symmetry then you really want to go with 2 brackets. In this case you will want to plan ahead and buy stronger, harder (read: more expensive) boards!

Decide how many shelves you want and then count up the number of boards you will need. We wanted one shelve in the center that we could use for bigger items so we counted one fewer boards. I’ve seen one with no board on the very top and this is a good look, especially if you are putting your shelf close to the ceiling you might want to leave it off so you have at least one shelf with more space for bigger items.

Finally, decide what kind of FINISH you want on your pipes.

Galvanized is more of a plain silver finish. This finish is specifically made to withstand rust and is more expensive.

The black finish is cheaper but may be harder to find in the quantities needed (and thus the multiple hardware store runaround). And, warning, it’s kinda messy to work with. It is covered with oil so you will need to wash these. Even so the black will continue to come off on your hands.

I’ve heard of people using spray paint to make their pipes look more uniform. Note: Some galvanized are treated with a special coating and you may have trouble getting the spray paint to stick. Before you go crazy with this idea I would test it out.

Based on your above decisions start making your shopping list!

Our Shopping List

To build our shelf unit of 5 shelves, 6 rungs and 3 support brackets this is what we used:

You may click on the picture for direct shopping links. We have included these affiliate links for your shopping convenience. We understand that you have lots of options when you shop. When you choose to shop with us it helps support our blog and we appreciate it!!

Step-By-Step to build your Industrial Pipe Shelves

Be very sure to line up every fixture so they are exactly in line with one another. This is essential or you will end up with a wavy shelf!!

Hold assembled unit against the wall at pre-measured location (this should line up with the studs). This is when 4 hands are really useful–ok, ESSENTIAL!

Use a balance to ensure it is straight and mark the walls for the screw anchors.

After inserting anchors, align unit and screw in place.

Repeat steps 1-5 and put up second support bracket the same way!

And the 3rd support bracket.

Hopefully your boards are dry and you can put them up right away!

Then comes the fun part! Decorating them. My hubby was laughing at me. When the boards were finally dry (the next morning) I was literally running around the house gathering up decor from every room of the house, and I hadn’t even had my coffee yet!

Every season I have had fun changing up the decor.

This is a summer decor version of my shelf. I really wanted more white accents. And the pop of natural green felt very fresh.

This was my fall decor update. It’s the only place in the house I used any orange. But these industrial pipe shelves are like a decor entity all to themselves. They get special treatment!

And the funniest part about this project? My hubby loves them at LEAST as much as I do! Go figure!!

Comments

This is sooo gorgeous and looks easy to make as you described! Thank you for sharing the tips and tricks! You have a very sweet hubby 🙂 it would take a year to convince my husband… And a week planning 😉

OH Kellie! It’s so nice to see you over here on the blog. Thank you ever so much for visiting and for leaving your kind reply. This is Jodie’s post. She’s busy with her boys right now so I get the absolute pleasure of replying to you. Aren’t these the coolest shelves? I love how she has it really step by step so anyone can make these. It’s pretty exciting. If I had a free wall I’d consider doing them myself. Heck, with all the editing I did of this post I think I have the process memorized haha! It was a real and honest delight to share the hashtag with you. I’m going to go over to your blog and check it out. Thanks again, Sweet Friend! God Bless, Julie (and Jodie)

Hi Ashley, Welcome to our blog! So glad you are excited to try these shelves. Yes, I too had them on my “to do” list for a while. Getting the hubby on board took the longest, and then setting aside a weekend. Honestly, though, hubby is just as happy and proud of them as I am, so that’s a win-win in our book! I will look forward to seeing your project done when it’s done. Please share with us how they turn out! Blessings for a fabulous Holiday Season, and we hope to see you again soon on the blog! XO ~ Jodie & Julie

Yay Amanda! Welcome to our blog! Thank you so much for joining us and for your sweet message. We are so glad you are inspired to make these shelves. We hope you find a spot soon. Please share with us how they turn out–we’d love to know. With blessings and gratitude, Jodie & Julie

Dear CoCo,
Welcome to our blog! Jodie and I are thrilled that you enjoyed and benefited from this blog tutorial. It really does make our efforts worthwhile to hear. Bonus that you have the space to create this fun project. We hope to hear/see the end results, so don’t forget to come back and let us know how it goes. In the meantime, we hope you enjoy our other posts as well.
Wishing you and your family a Happy Holiday Season,
Julie & Jodie

Kayan, Aren’t they the coolest? I’m still smitten. Keep at your hubby…you saw the persistence it took for me, haha! You can do this! Julie & I are just thrilled that you made it to the blog. We sincerely hope you will continue to join us on this journey long after March Madness is over. With love & friendship, Jodie & Julie

Hi Gail, Thank you for stopping by. We hope you will give it a try. Let us know if you do…we’d love to see. In the meantime we hope you will come back often and join us on this fun journey to be inspired and motivated to be your best and lots of fun along the way. With love & blessings, Julie & Jodie

And what I love about this beautiful project is that a single Grandmother, like myself, could do this. (With maybe a little help from my son.)
Plus if you’re working on a small budget you could collect the pipes and fittings a few at a time, until you get all that you need.
I wonder if they would hold up well in the outside elements.
March Madness continues. ????

No, sorry for the confusion. The washing was really just to get the tape off and rinse them a bit. This rinsing process did not change the color or the way they looked. These are the “black” version of the pipes –which isn’t really black at all, but looks more like a pewter color. The silver is really polished, bright and shinny. We didn’t want to go for this look. We wanted it to look rustic. If you wanted it pure black you would have to spray paint it black. The ones we bought are the blackest version that is sold, at least at the hardware store. I hope this helps clarify.

Hi Marieanne,
I’m sorry, now that the screws are in the wall I honestly would be guessing (also, since some time has passed I don’t remember.) I would think your better bet would be to ask the guys at Home Depot. Good luck on your projects! XO ~ Jodie & Julie

Hi Amy,
Thank you for reading our blog. The answers to both of these questions are actually in the blog post. Yes, we used anchors in the studs. The length of the boards I forget off the top of my head but all the info including exact size of the boards is all provided in the post. Good luck on your project. Blessings, Jodie & Julie

I love this unit and to be honest it’s the best tutorial out there (complete with the links to purchase the parts! Score!). What I can’t seem to find anywhere on here is the overall dimensions of the unit? I’m pretty sure I can back into the math given the length of the pipes, but I’d love to know (with all the parts hooked together) the total height and length. Thanks!

Hi Melissa,
Sorry for the delay in getting back to you. The dimensions of unit are: boards are 6′ x 9″ x 1″, the pipes are 10″ pipes away from the wall and the height of the unit is 4’11” from the bottom board to the top. We didn’t center it on the wall because we wanted a larger area at the top to display taller items. Hopefully this is helpful. Good luck, Jodie & Julie

I enjoyed reading this DIY industrial pipe shelf plans. With some modifications, I plan to do something similar in the closet of my home office. Not only that, I thought it would be cool to make a matching desk as well.

Question: What wood did you use for the shelf board, and what is its dimension?

Jay, Glad you enjoyed the pipe shelf project. The wood used is the most basic, inexpensive wood boards from Home Depot, 6′ long x 9″ deep x 1″ thick. Good luck with your project. Take care, Julie & Jodie

Glad you enjoyed this post Melissa. The boards are holding up perfectly well without polyerethane. But I’m just placing decor on them. If you are going to use them for for maybe storing items or kids rooms where there might be a lot of wear on them I might consider. Otherwise I don’t think there is a real need. Take care, Jodie & Julie

Hi Phyllis,
Just as I said in the post the vertical pipes I used were all 10″. They may appear longer because of the connectors. Good luck on your project and thanks so much for stopping by. All the best, Jodie & Julie

Just some thoughts from my experience that may help with some of the problems you ran into with the greasy pipe, galvanized pipe and painting.
This size pipe also comes in plastic and you can get it in a bunch of lengths and it comes threaded as well. To keep the industrial you could still use the steel elbows and connectors.
Then clean the metal bits in a good grease cutter such as dawn dry completly then use a spray primer before applying top color coat. Since the pipe lengths are short there’s no problem with the assembled piece as to it being strong enough to carry pretty much any weight.
The problem with the paint sticking to either the galvanized or black metal pipe I believe was due to the oil on the metal. But as I mentioned above a good degreaser, primer and than the top coat would solve that issue.
Using plastic pipe would also make the whole thing much lighter allowing you to completely assemble it. Then just stand it up, set it on some books or wood to get you bear the right height, level and mark a few holes along the top. That should hold it while you mark all the remaining holes, put in plastic anchors and then it’s just zip and zip to screw everything in. Should be solid as a rock.

Joe,
Thank you for all the useful tips and suggestions! We will make sure to keep these in mind for the future, hope you continue to check out our latest posts and get inspiration as well! XO ~ Julie and Jodie

Just finished my own! Thank you so much for the idea and tutorial. Unfortunately, we too made multiple trips to Home Depot due to purchasing 12” and 10” pipes. We put the entire thing together before we realized what happened! In the end, it turned out great! I wish I could post a photo on this thread.

Hi Vikki,
Yay! We are so happy our pipe shelves tutorial helped you. Thanks for joining us on our blog and for your kind reply. It makes our day to hear from you! Hope you continue to enjoy our blog posts. Wishing you the best, Julie & Jodie

[…] and highly versatile. Make the diy shelf combination of sizes and depths you need for any room. Diy industrial pipe shelves! Build your own!. Diy industrial pipe shelves are an easy weekend project that require no special skills. Here is a […]